Saturday, June 20, 2009

Minister Collapses Again, PS Shot, Who’s Next?

26 comments:

Who's next? These things happen to people everyday. Folks of Shitanda's age and medical condition collapse every single day and Kenyans of all walks of life are stopping bullets practically every single minute of the day. There is nothing special with these two cases. I do however hope the minister gets well quick.

That said, the government has a duty now more than ever before to arrest the security problem in the country. This is getting out of hand, it is clearly getting to proportions that are intolerable. What we are staring in the face is the possible disintegration of the nation--Somali style.

....MPs and civil servants are human also though they don't act like it

I know they discharge alot of HOT AIR in the course of their daily duties but they're simply dishing Kenyans our staple diet of takataka we deserve

i wonder how many foxes were chasing Kinuthia?the female of the species is usually the most deadly

nevertheless sometimes politicians are crudely reminded they are flesh and blood just like the rest of us.one of my favourite musicians is a lady called Des'ree. she sang a popular song when i was growing up in 1998 called "life, oh life, oh oh life, oh life etc"

Morris Mbetsa connects a modem to his laptop and quickly logs on to youtube.com. He keys in his name and opens video news clips on him done by international TV channels.

He accesses ‘comments’ section: Users of the site have posted comments, taunting him for refusing to leave Kenya to develop his innovations.

"This hurts," he tells The Standard on Sunday. "I am developing a major innovation and if I launch it without the Government’s assistance, I will quit."

Mbetsa has developed a radio station, a mobile phone-based car lock and track system, a Sh200 device that pumps 3,200 litres of water an hour, and a computer application that can be used to keep various records.

Message from PM

He has turned down offers from US, Germany, UK, China and Japan — where similar technology is used.

He says he has an urgent message for Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Cabinet ministers William Ruto, George Saitoti and Chirau Ali Mwakwere.

"That message remains secret. I know they will not give me an audience but I challenge them to prove me wrong," said Mbetsa.

The 19-year-old grabbed headlines internationally last year when he invented ‘Block and Track’, a vehicle anti-theft system that allows motorists to lock their cars using their cell phones.

Fresh from secondary school, Mbetsa combined voice and SMS text messaging technologies to control the vehicle’s electrical system remotely. Using cell phone, one can control the vehicle’s ignition and disable it any time.

Mbetsa has since upgraded the system to sense change of a driver. The new motorist has to give a preset voice command before ignition.

Despite the system’s impressive innovations, only 15 people — all Mbetsa’s friends — are using it. After he was first featured on KTN last year, Mbetsa has received calls from several Government officials promising to support his innovations but no promise has materialised so far. His support comes mostly from abroad and his mother.

Mbetsa has made another discovery that could help traffic police officers net reckless drivers.

The computer application can also help doctors easily track the health record of patients and assist ordinary Kenyans to ascertain products certified by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs). They can request a ‘key’ using the number on the Kebs label to ascertain whether the item they are about to buy is genuine.

Security system

He has devised a traffic monitoring system via a website where police officers can check records of all motorists.

He has another version which the officers can access the system using their mobile phones. If a motorist has committed an offence, the officer will key in the drivers licence number but will not be able to access the offender’s profile until he requests for a ‘key’ electronically from another authorised officer.

The officer generating the ‘key’ will electronically countercheck if the officer asking for it is on duty.

"This will reduce cases of misuse, where an officer might maliciously want to add details to somebody’s profile even if he is off duty," says Mbetsa.

But why mix the two incidents Mr Taabu?To me,apart from the fact that Soita and Murugu are high ranking govt officials,the causes are totally unrelated.One is a health issue while the other is a criminal act.But as most of us know,you only see things from one perspective!

But why mix the two incidents Mr Taabu?To me,apart from the fact that Soita and Murugu are high ranking govt officials,the causes are totally unrelated.One is a health issue while the other is a criminal act.But as most of us know,you only see things from one perspective!

That said, the government has a duty now more than ever before to arrest the security problem in the country. This is getting out of hand, it is clearly getting to proportions that are intolerable. What we are staring in the face is the possible disintegration of the nation--Somali style.

Our views:

We are afraid that, what Kenya faces today is not a security issue as such. In our view, what is happening is that, since our economic system has failed, we have millions of young men roaming all parts of the country with nothing to occupy their minds and as it is said, the idle mind is the devil's workshop. There is no way the police can be able to police all these young men.

What is needed is an urgent rethink of the Kenyan economic system (especially all, nt just the govt) so as to give these young men opportunities.

If that can be done (we must say that, Kazi kwa Vijana or putting KES 100 million in the constituency cannot do the job), we will be left with small groups of hardcore criminals. Those are the people the police can now handle as a policing issue. Otherwise, to pretend that, we can handle this mess using police, is a non - starter.

Secondly, Kenyans must very soon confront the issue of population growth versus economic advancement. For instance, what about putting a law that:

- the first child gets free education up to university level,

- the second child gets free education upto form four.

- the third child gets no free education.

We believe that, with such a policy, we can manage to stabilise the population expansion as we restructure our economy.

What a silly discriminatory proposal you are putting forward. How would you justify targeting children for discrimination based on their order of birth? Given that substantial benefits of an education are personal to the recipient, the punishing effects of such a law would dispropotionately fall on the children rather than the mating parents.

Yes, the need to control population may be a compelling state interest, but the means you have chosen to effectuate the interest are arbitrary. Get off the arm-chair and think again!

Police cannot touch these criminals because police fears Raila will run to Geneva and report them to Alston and the UN. Raila has become the roving ambassador of Mungiki and Saboati guerillas and other criminal elements.

I just find it hilarious that anyone would insist that Africans be at the forefront of fighting/ending IMPUNITY. And then it is said in some western country. Does anyone see the stupidity of that statement????

Btw--am really fed up with Iran coverage--it's all over the place. I guess, in the end, it's about Israel, and not really about Iran. Guess I can live with that. But the coverage is annoying,as if there are no other important things happening all over the world!

What a silly discriminatory proposal you are putting forward. How would you justify targeting children for discrimination based on their order of birth? Given that substantial benefits of an education are personal to the recipient, the punishing effects of such a law would dispropotionately fall on the children rather than the mating parents.

Our response:

Our suggestion is not cast on stone. We would be happy to read your solution that is better than ours. If you have one, share with us please.

Folks,It is true Shitanda and the PS are bleeding from different causes but both amounts to threat to life, ama? Especially for the PS it is insecuity knocking at the executive door. And where does that leave the ordinary me and you on the street? Chilling to imagine what Kenyans undergo.

Maybe after hijacking and MP and now wounding a PS some executive action may help save some lives.

@MwarangetheTake heart and enjoy Kenya's scalding. You only offered a suggestion and instead of others countering with better alternatives they shamelessly come bare knuckes.

We need a population policy and people must stop being IRREPOSIBLY BEING ATHLETIC AROUND THE WAIST. No pelvic gymnastics please if you cannot fend for the by product.

@LukaAti you were still growing up in 1998? Wewe sema ukweli ama nitoboe. Why are you being economical with...

The problem is management of resources and poor governance and instability and corruption.

Did you know that at one point kenya was being considered as a hub for outsourced IT jobs? But the lack of infrastructure led companies to move to India.

There are a lot of smart Kenyans who are capable of implementing and running useful policies on food production and technology but the leadership is stuck in 1963 where they have to travel abroad with their girlfriends to learn what might have been learned on a teleconference and power point.

We also need to change land laws and start taxing such property. That Kenyatta and his ilk can pay taxes on the thousands of acres that they sit on and generate income to the GK.

The 2002 MoU was a lie. And, if we fought last year, the MoU was the ‘‘original sin’’. Then we had the 2007 elections. No one won. Yet the President was sworn in as the winner. This was the second lie. In fact, this is the lie on which the grand coalition is built.